Nguyen Thanh
Encyclopedia
Nguyen Thanh was a Vietnam
ese scholar-gentry anti-colonial revolutionary activist who advocated independence from French colonial rule
. He was a contemporary of Phan Boi Chau
and Phan Chu Trinh
. He was imprisoned by the French and died in custody.
Thanh was born in 1863 in the village of Thanh My in Thang Binh
prefecture in Quang Nam Province
.
Thanh had come from a scholarly family, as his father was a high-ranking mandarin under Emperor Tự Đức. Thanh had registered to participate in the regional imperial examinations in 1885, when fighting broke out in the capital of Huế. This had come when the regent Tôn Thất Thuyết
had smuggled the boy Emperor Hàm Nghi
out of the city and attempted to start an uprising to expel the French colonial authorities as part of the Can Vuong
movement. Thanh dropped his studies and joined a local resistance group. Later in the year, he was appointed as one of the military heads for the Can Vuong in the Quang Nam and Quang Ngai area in central Vietnam and after several years of guerrilla fighting, he gained the respect of the French and the Vietnamese collaborators. He was eventually allowed to return to his home village by Nguyen Than, the infamous collaborator official who had disposed of the remains of Phan Dinh Phung
, the leading anti-colonial revolutionary of the time.
Thanh never attempted to resuscitate his scholarly career, and instead began to nurture his links with the younger anti-colonialists of the post Can Vuong era. He was to become a part of the inner circle of the new generation of militants, remaining a part of Phan Boi Chau
's network until he was imprisoned and died on Con Lon island in 1911.
In 1903, Thanh began his association with Phan Boi Chau
, the leading Vietnamese revolutionary of the early 20th century. Phan had just become involved in the newly created Duy Tân Hội (Reformation Society) that attempted to restore an independent monarchy to rule Vietnam. Phan had moved to Huế with the cover of sitting for the metropolitan imperial examinations, but intended to drum up support among the various factions of royal family. Few were willing to go against the French authorities, so he instead went to meet Thanh in Quang Nam. Phan turned down Thanh's recommendation of Ton That Thoai as the titular head, so Phan returned to Huế to concentrate on the direct descendants of Emperor Gia Long
, the founder of the Nguyễn Dynasty, on Thanh's advice. This started the political alliance between Phan and Prince Cường Để, a descendant of Gia Long.
Thus, Thanh became the main strategist of the Duy Tân Hội, and he organised Phan's trip through the Mekong Delta region to rally further support among the remnants of the followers of the anti-colonial guerrilla Truong Dinh
, who had resisted the initial colonisation some four decades earlier.
He was later made responsible for masterminding the planning and overseas fundraising campaigns for the Duy Tân Hội. He then planned Cường Để's travel arrangements for his political campaigning for Vietnamese independence.
In 1908, as part of a general crackdown on independence activists, Thanh was arrested by the French colonial authorities and sent to the prison of island of Con Lon, where he died.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese scholar-gentry anti-colonial revolutionary activist who advocated independence from French colonial rule
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. He was a contemporary of Phan Boi Chau
Phan Boi Chau
Phan Bội Châu was a pioneer of Vietnamese 20th century nationalism. In 1903, he formed a revolutionary organization called the “Reformation Society” ....
and Phan Chu Trinh
Phan Chu Trinh
Phan Chu Trinh also known as Phan Châu Trinh was a famous early 20th century Vietnamese nationalist. He also used the alias Tây Hồ. He sought to end France's brutal occupation of Vietnam...
. He was imprisoned by the French and died in custody.
Thanh was born in 1863 in the village of Thanh My in Thang Binh
Thang Binh
Thăng Bình is a rural district of Quang Nam province in the South Central Coastal region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 186,964. The district covers an area of 385 km². The district capital lies at Ha Lam....
prefecture in Quang Nam Province
Quang Nam Province
Quảng Nam is a province on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bordered by Thua Thien-Huế province to the north, the nation of Laos to the west, Kon Tum Province to the southwest, Quảng Ngãi Province to the southeast, the South China Sea to the east, and the city of Da Nang to the...
.
Thanh had come from a scholarly family, as his father was a high-ranking mandarin under Emperor Tự Đức. Thanh had registered to participate in the regional imperial examinations in 1885, when fighting broke out in the capital of Huế. This had come when the regent Tôn Thất Thuyết
Ton That Thuyet
Tôn Thất Thuyết was the leading mandarin of Emperor Tự Đức of Vietnam's Nguyễn Dynasty. Thuyết later led the Can Vuong movement which aimed to restore Vietnamese independence under Emperor Hàm Nghi. He was born on May 12, 1839 in Huế....
had smuggled the boy Emperor Hàm Nghi
Ham Nghi
Emperor Hàm Nghi ; , was the eighth Emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyễn Dynasty. He reigned for only one year ....
out of the city and attempted to start an uprising to expel the French colonial authorities as part of the Can Vuong
Can Vuong
The Cần Vương movement was a large-scale Vietnamese insurgency between 1885 and 1889 against French colonial rule. Its objective was to expel the French and install the boy emperor Hàm Nghi as the leader of an independent Vietnam...
movement. Thanh dropped his studies and joined a local resistance group. Later in the year, he was appointed as one of the military heads for the Can Vuong in the Quang Nam and Quang Ngai area in central Vietnam and after several years of guerrilla fighting, he gained the respect of the French and the Vietnamese collaborators. He was eventually allowed to return to his home village by Nguyen Than, the infamous collaborator official who had disposed of the remains of Phan Dinh Phung
Phan Dinh Phung
Phan Đình Phùng was a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in Vietnam. He was the most prominent of the Confucian court scholars involved in anti-French military campaigns in the 19th century and was cited after his death by 20th-century nationalists as a...
, the leading anti-colonial revolutionary of the time.
Thanh never attempted to resuscitate his scholarly career, and instead began to nurture his links with the younger anti-colonialists of the post Can Vuong era. He was to become a part of the inner circle of the new generation of militants, remaining a part of Phan Boi Chau
Phan Boi Chau
Phan Bội Châu was a pioneer of Vietnamese 20th century nationalism. In 1903, he formed a revolutionary organization called the “Reformation Society” ....
's network until he was imprisoned and died on Con Lon island in 1911.
In 1903, Thanh began his association with Phan Boi Chau
Phan Boi Chau
Phan Bội Châu was a pioneer of Vietnamese 20th century nationalism. In 1903, he formed a revolutionary organization called the “Reformation Society” ....
, the leading Vietnamese revolutionary of the early 20th century. Phan had just become involved in the newly created Duy Tân Hội (Reformation Society) that attempted to restore an independent monarchy to rule Vietnam. Phan had moved to Huế with the cover of sitting for the metropolitan imperial examinations, but intended to drum up support among the various factions of royal family. Few were willing to go against the French authorities, so he instead went to meet Thanh in Quang Nam. Phan turned down Thanh's recommendation of Ton That Thoai as the titular head, so Phan returned to Huế to concentrate on the direct descendants of Emperor Gia Long
Gia Long
Emperor Gia Long , born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh , was an emperor of Vietnam...
, the founder of the Nguyễn Dynasty, on Thanh's advice. This started the political alliance between Phan and Prince Cường Để, a descendant of Gia Long.
Thus, Thanh became the main strategist of the Duy Tân Hội, and he organised Phan's trip through the Mekong Delta region to rally further support among the remnants of the followers of the anti-colonial guerrilla Truong Dinh
Truong Dinh
Trương Định , sometimes known as Trương Công Định, was a mandarin in the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam under Emperor Tự Đức. He is best known for leading a guerrilla army in southern Vietnam against the French invasion in defiance of the emperor...
, who had resisted the initial colonisation some four decades earlier.
He was later made responsible for masterminding the planning and overseas fundraising campaigns for the Duy Tân Hội. He then planned Cường Để's travel arrangements for his political campaigning for Vietnamese independence.
In 1908, as part of a general crackdown on independence activists, Thanh was arrested by the French colonial authorities and sent to the prison of island of Con Lon, where he died.